First off, let me just say that I loved the book, A Dog’s Purpose by W. Bruce Cameron, and was really looking forward to seeing the movie…

And then the horrific TMZ video came out, documenting potential abuse by the dog trainers on the set of the film. The writers, producers, and actors involved in the production — along with millions of moviegoers — were all justifiably horrified by what they saw on the disturbing clip.

However, later, after Cameron and the studio execs viewed ALL of the footage that took place during that day of filming, it was revealed that the video clip had been edited out of context to maximize the impact of the traumatic footage.

Unfortunately, by that point, the cat pooch was out of the bag, so to speak.

Gavin Polone, the big dog lover/producer on the film, wrote a compelling Hollywood Reporter column breaking down the whole incident, which explains the nasty dog fight brewing between PETA and Hollywood. (I’m assuming that part of PETA’s position has to do with the sad fact that past dog movies like 101 Dalmatians and Beverly Hills Chihuahua have inspired numerous “bad fad” pet adoptions — which later resulted in countless Dalmatians and Chihuahuas being returned back to rescue shelters once the new owners got “bored” with their new puppies and couldn’t handle all the responsibilities that it takes in caring for an animal.)

Tragically, no matter where you stand on this issue, there are no winners, as all dog movie fans and dog rescue advocates alike have been harmed during the making of this film.